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The group's designer sheep, carefully bred over the past 50 years for resistance to facial eczema, are now industry leaders and command premium prices.

For Rhys and Helen Dackers and Helen's father Bob Steed, the success of the ARDG animals is a vindication for years of hard work since buying an established flock in 1981.

They jointly run Kereru Station Romneys at Tangiteroria, west of Whangārei and are among the five breeders in New Zealand who are part of the ARDG programme which has been running since 1968.

Bob, and his late wife Anne, bought an existing ARDG flock as they faced the challenges of sheep farming on land that is prone to facial eczema.

Rhys says that at the time the effects of facial eczema were devastating. "Over 100,000 spores is considered critical. Even now we can get rest results of over two million spores."Mushroom weather is facial eczema weather,'' he says.

Facial eczema is a disease which causes lowered production, skin peeling, jaundice and sometimes death. It is caused by a sporidesmin toxin produced by the spores of a pasture fungus called Pithomyces chartarum. When the toxin is ingested, it causes damage to the bile ducts and liver, and even mild cases cause ill thrift and animals may never fully recover.

The breeding programme pursued by Bob almost 40 years ago has led the stud to a position where their animals are now highly resistant to facial eczema.

Despite high spore counts in their pastures, these designer sheep show no sign of facial eczema in their blood tests.

Breeding for facial eczema resistance is now highly successful within the group and now the ARDG breeders are working with geneticists to breed for worm resistance, worm resilience, growth and number of lambs born.

The ARDG breeders select the highest ranking sires, over all traits, for use over their recorded flocks.

Ewes are selected on recorded performance and ram selection is a rigorous and almost ruthless process where only the very best are allowed to go forward for mating or sale to other studs or sheep farmers throughout New Zealand.

The group's records are so impeccable that the international Pfizer drug company approached them when they wanted to set up DNA profiling of sheep. This work eventually shifted to Pfizer spinoff company Zoetis, which is the world's largest producer of medicine and vaccinations for pets and livestock.

Along with Sheep Improvement Limited, Ramguard and AgResearch, Zoetis' involvement takes the programme into exciting territory with the potential for rapid gains through the use of genomics.

Bob is still heavily involved with the farm and a few weeks ago was helping out in the shearing shed.

Helen works full time on the farm and has her own team of dogs while Rhys combines farm work with off-farm employment as an auctioneer and stock agent for Carrfields.

Alongside the Romney stud, Rhys is having fun with another breeding venture using "Porky", a Beltex ram which has a strong resemblance to Peppa Pig. The meaty animal is from the Belgian Texel breed which has been bred for its double muscling and solid stature.

Rhys has used Porky over a small flock of Terminal Sire breeding ewes in a bid to produce a great fat lamb carcass.

"With lamb prices these days, even 2kg or 3kg more per animal will be a big difference in income,'' he says.

The lambs are small when they are born but quickly "pack on the muscle like little sumo wrestlers".

Rhys is also a keen dog trialist and loves to compete with his dogs that he has trained from puppies. He has achieved high rankings to a Northland championship level.

When not out on her farm bike mustering sheep, Helen can be found at the computer completing all the lifetime recording data of the sheep from birth. She is also on the board of trustees at Tangiteroria Primary School.

This busy farming family's love of animals extends to another generation. Helen and Rhys' children, Cameron and Caitlyn, excel with their pet day animals, including calves, goats and sheep, and pony club competitions.